All right So I'm ready to deal with coaches. What are some of your comebacks to coaches or player when they use cliches. ex... Call it both ways etc

None
 

If you are a relatively new official and have not established a working repoirre(sp) with the coaches, the best answer is to bite your tongue and treat them as professionally as humanly possible.

Simply speak professionally and courteously to them. One-liners and comebacks are a path to trouble.

Don't lower yourself with a smartass comeback. In scholastic ball simple answers, if any, are the best. And in rec. leagues tell the coach we can talk about it at the half or after the game.

Although you can't quote silence, I do believe that coaches do want to be aknowledged at times when they are talking to you. Maybe quotes like " I will take a look" or "I felt that I had a pretty good look at the play" or "thats not the way I saw it from my angle" might help you out.
Of course you can't reply every single time a coach says something to you,but every once in a while I feel its very good to give the coach some sort of response...... Just to let them know you are hearing them. If they don't think you are hearing them... They will just say more and get louder as the game goes on.

Just my thoughts... It works for me.

Good Luck

"Sit down, and shut up" always works.

NOT.

Do what my grandpa always did when he couldn't hear us.
Smile and nod.

I personally only deal with head coaches. I have very little tolerance of assistants. What I have found to work for me is to acknowledge them. Most of the time they just want to know that you are listening. Be courteous with them as long as they are curteous with you. They've got a job to do just like you and if you ignore them, they'll keep on until they feel they have made their point. If a coach doesn't like a particular call and wants to talk about it, I'll let them talk all they want. Then I'll ask them what they saw. If they saw something different, I'll tell them what I saw. If we still can't work it out, I'll end it with, "If it happened the way you say it did, then I kicked it." What's a coach going to say to that? Of course, if you say that every time, the coach will probably have a problem with that. I have found that I normally don't have more than one conversation a game. This of couse is only one person's opinion. Don't ever get in an arguing match with a coach, even if you feel you are absolutely right. It will not help the situation. I guess the old addage, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all" probably fits this situation.

Mregor

With that said, my absolute favorite line to an assistant coach is, "I have to take that from Batman, but I'm sure as hell not taking it from Robin. Sit down please." That one will get some smiles from the crowd and probably the head coach as well.

I just know from dealing with people in general. What is said by one person may not work for another person even given the same exact situation or circumstance. Peoples personalities, communications (verbal or nonverbal), looks, and whatever makes you unique, plays a roll in what will work for you. I have heard one referee use a witty line and get away with it all game long. The next person who says it, is a smart!@# .

AK ref SE

Don't you mean "Treat them as human as professionally possible"?

I like what Ben Franklin said, "Tis better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt". Catchy come backs just keep the issues alive.

Does not work for everybody.
 

You have to work with your personality. For some "comebacks" work for them, others it is a disaster.

I had a game Wednesday and I had a new varsity coach complaining about "traveling" and "that is a push" early in the game. We were doing a 3 Person game, so I turned to the coach and said, "this is a varsity game, we are not going to allow you to complain about every little thing." He apparantly got the message and shut up the rest of the evening for the most part. At the time he was winning by about 10 points or more and let it go.

Now that worked for me because of who I am and who I was working with. That is not going to work for someone that has not gained a reputation for "not putting up with crap" as opposed to someone that they have no clue what you can do as an official. So I agree with most that "comebacks" are not the way to go, unless you have been around the block enough to know what you can get away with. Some coaches just ignoring them is the best things and others you have to nip it in the bud immediately. The only way you will know the difference, is by having some years under your belt.

Peace

Comebacks
 

I'll listen to the Head Coach, and at times I might say, something like, "What did you see coach? " Most times he/she have think to answer that question. When he/she starts thinking, they don't have time to talk to me.

Another thing that I have been told and try to practice, is don't respond to statements. Often coaches will make statements such as "that was a walk" , " lots of contact on that play". There is no need to be baited into a debate when there is such a statement to be made. Of course, I'm not talking about the coach that says that's a walk on every play, that may need to be addressed, but don't get into the habit of responding to idle statements about the game or your calls. If he/she asks a reasonable question give them a concise answer and go on. I also don't agree with the philosophy of not giving asst. coaches any slack. If you treat me with disrespect and 'put me in my place' and next year I'm a head coach, my opinion of you will NEVER change no matter how professionally you treat me from now on. Treat everybody with respect and dignity, head coach or water girl and you will be treated the same, for the most part.

They have not earned that right.
 

Well, when they are a head coach, then they will get treated as such. Until then, if I start answering questions of more than one individual on the bench, I might as well go up in the stands and ask the fans to what they think as well. Now if they want to help their coach out and ask something during a timeout, like "where will the ball be located after the timeout?" Or they want to ask, "are we shooting 2 shots or a 1 and 1?" I have no problem with that, but when it starts dealing with "why was that called," we are going to have problems. In doing 3 sports, that is a very common practice. For one with your back turned, you want to know who to address when they are asking questions, not hearing 5 different questions from 5 different sources.

Just an opinion.

Peace